A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
I have a “like-hate” relationship with clinical metrics, performance measurements, and other such things. By now, almost all physicians live with them in the form of insurer “report cards,” PQRS, and “meaningful” use. Some of us have even more exposure to them by participating in …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
The election year has finally arrived. Even though the candidates have been on the trail for what seems like forever, I wanted to wait until the traditional time to announce the launch of my campaign.
Don’t worry, I’m not running for office. My campaign is an initiative to get us to start talking about the “quadruple aim” …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
In December, I concluded a 13-year term on the board of directors of the Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI). RIQI was formed in 2001 to “to significantly improve the quality, safety, and value of health care in Rhode Island.” …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Recently, I rummaged through some old files to throw out things I did not need. While marveling at how we stored documents back in the 20th century (and how little of what I saved I ever used), I came across a couple of interesting items. …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
By now, all of you are waist-deep in ICD-10. So far, in my practice it hasn’t been the alphanumeric Armageddon that many feared, but I will reserve final judgment until we’ve gotten through a few billing cycles. Even if it goes the way of “Y2K” …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
When I entered practice over 25 years ago, planning for influenza vaccination season was straightforward. Every late spring, we looked at how many doses we gave out the previous year, added a few doses, ordered the vaccine, and immunized our patients in the fall. If …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
I love pre-visit planning.
OK, “love” may be too strong a word — I like pre-visit planning. Pre-visit planning isn’t new. Many of you have done it for years, even before it had a name, for example when pre-ordering labs before a visit.
I did not begin …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
In the spring of 2009, I represented the American College of Physicians (ACP) at a meeting in Washington of health policy experts discussing payment reform. When I arrived at the cocktail reception the night before the meeting, a …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
A few weeks ago, my partners and I held a “going away” dinner for one of our partners who retired in late March. It was a great evening. We reminisced, discussed how medicine has changed over the …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Last month, I shared my take on the mess that we find ourselves in with our electronic health records (EHRs) and referred to the recently published ACP position paper on clinical documentation. The paper includes …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
So far, 2015 has been a busy year for reflecting on the use of electronic health records (EHRs). CMS just released its proposed rules for meaningful use stage 3. One might say that “MU 3” supports the belief that the sequel is never …
(with a hat tip to “Who’s On First?”)
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
(Scene is the back office of a small primary care clinic. Lou is sitting at his workstation, looking at a computer screen. Bud walks by and Lou stops him …)
LOU: Hey, Abbott! I just saw a lady …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Some think that it should be repealed and replaced. Others support it but feel that it needs to be improved. A few believe that it’s OK as is. I’m not writing about Obamacare — I’m describing maintenance of certification (MOC).
I will not use up my word count …
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A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
How many of you have heard a flight attendant or pilot announce, “We know you have a choice of airlines when you fly, and we want to thank you for flying with us”? Over the years, many other industries have adopted similar statements. Continuing medical education (CME) …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
One of the American College of Physicians’ priority areas for the current fiscal year is to “Help ACP members experience more joy in their professional lives.” This includes decreasing what is known as the “hassle factor” that …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Care coordination seems to be the rage these days. It is mentioned in most discussions of new delivery and payment models such as the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) and accountable care organizations. The concept is not a new one; primary care physicians have been coordinating care …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
A little over two years ago in this blog, my “EHR report card” evaluated the effect of the electronic health record (EHR) on my practice. I thought it would be interesting to see how things have changed. As in 2012, I will not identify …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
This month, the American College of Physicians’ Board of Governors (BOG) will meet in Chicago. One of the items on the agenda is the discussion of resolutions that will help to shape ACP policy. The resolutions process, which looks at proposed policy changes and directives to …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Patient portals. They have great potential, but is it being met? And are we losing something in return? I ask myself these questions now that my practice offers a patient portal linked to our electronic health record (EHR). I did not expect to feel that way, …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
The recent uproar over the American College of Physicians’ recommendation against routine pelvic examinations made me think about the status of the annual visit (a.k.a. yearly physical, annual exam) on average risk, asymptomatic adults that most internal medicine specialists perform. Some would say that …
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